Books can Change Lives
by Justified Singer Prince Fan
Summary: When Umbridge finds 7 books about Artemis Potter's life she reads them out in the Great Hall. What could go wrong - Everything , friendships will be tested and unlikely allies will be formed with unknown enemies revealed. Fem Harry - Manipulative Dumbles and Molly Good Ron and Ginny Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter Everything goes to JK Rowling minus plot.
1. Chapter 1

Books Can Change Lives

Umbridge(POV)

I was pacing on the seventh floor corridor after Potter's detention.

I had enough of Potter's lies and making everyone think that You Know - Who was back when he was dead, what i really wanted to happen was some kind of proof that could use to shoe everyone that Artemis Kaycee Potter was spouting nothing but lies.

As i was thinking this a door appeared out of nowhere and i cautiously stepped through and i saw a large circular oak table in the center of the room with a stack of books on with a note on top.

I picked up the note and it read

_Dear Professor Umbridge,_

_These books entail the life of Artemis Joy Potter and it contains 4 books on her past , one of the present and two of the future , they are Artemis Potter and The Sorcerers Stone , Artemis Potter and The Chamber of Secrets , Artemis Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban , Artemis Potter and The Goblet Of Fire , Artemis Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix, Artemis Potter and The Half- Blood Prince and Artemis Potter and The Deathly Hallows._

_Everything in these books is completely true and we are sending them from the future to try and prevent certain tragic events happening in the near future , this is so that the future will be a much happier and many innocent lives will be saved._

_Please read the books in front of All the Hogwarts Students and Teachers and;_

_Remus Lupin_

_Sirius Black (save arresting him till the end of all of the books)_

_The Weasleys (All Of Them)_

_Fleur Delacour _

_Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy_

_Nymphadora Tonks_

_Andromeda and Ted Tonks_

_Amelia Bones_

_Cornelius Fudge_

_The Dursleys - Artemis's Muggle Relatives_

_Please be civil to everyone and do not use any violence towards any one in the books previous actions._

_From - Artemis Kaycee Potter , Charlie Weasley , James Sirius Potter , Albus Severus Potter , Lily Luna Potter , Hermione Jean Weasley , Ronald Bilious Weasley , Rose Weasley , Hugo Weasley , William Weasley , Fleur Weasley , Victoire Weasley , Dominique Weasley , Louis Weasley , George Weasley , Angelina Weasley , Roxanne Weasley , Fred Weasley II , Percy Weasley , Audrey Weasley ,Lucy Weasley , Molly Weasley II , Draco Malfoy , Astoria Malfoy , Scorpius Malfoy.  
><em>

These book were just what i needed , i sent patronus messages to everyone and then went back to my office and fell asleep happily.


	2. Chapter 2

_Books can Change Lives_

_Can all students and staff please report to the Great Hall for a very important announcement._

_Artemis(POV)_

The toad's sickly sweet voice rang through Ravenclaw Tower as i was just leaving the Common Room with my best friends,Luna Lovegood and Lisa Turpin.

"I wonder what she wants now" groaned Lisa

"Probably something to do with me as everyone knows she hates my very existence" i said pessimistically

"Most Likely" said Luna dreamily

We got to the Great Hall and sat down at the Ravenclaw Table ignoring all the stares and glares people gave me and grabbed a muffin.

The toad stood up making everyone silent.

"I have found 7 books detailing the life of Artemis Potter , 4 books from the past , one from the present and two from the future , they are called Artemis Potter and The Sorcerers Stone , Artemis Potter and The Chamber of Secrets , Artemis Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban , Artemis Potter and The Goblet Of Fire , Artemis Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix, Artemis Potter and The Half- Blood Prince and Artemis Potter and The Deathly Hallows" she said sweetly.

I groaned and put my head on the table.

Here is the note that came with them

_"Dear Professor Umbridge,_

_These books entail the life of Artemis Joy Potter and it contains 4 books on her past , one of the present and two of the future , they are Artemis Potter and The Sorcerers Stone , Artemis Potter and The Chamber of Secrets , Artemis Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban , Artemis Potter and The Goblet Of Fire , Artemis Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix, Artemis Potter and The Half- Blood Prince and Artemis Potter and The Deathly Hallows._

_Everything in these books is completely true and we are sending them from the future to try and prevent certain tragic events happening in the near future , this is so that the future will be a much happier and many innocent lives will be save_

_Please read the books in front of All the Hogwarts Students and Teachers and;_

_Remus Lupin_

Everyone cheered as he walked in and sat down at the Ravenclaw Table opposite me

_Sirius Black (save arresting him till the end of all of the books)_

Everyone gasped/screamed as he walked in.

He did the same as Remus and i gave him a huge hug and everyone looked shell-shocked.

_The Weasleys (All Of Them)_

They all walked in and sat down at the Gryffindor Table.

_Fleur Delacour_

She sat at the Ravenclaw Table next to me.

_Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy_

They walked in and sat at the Slytherin Table but not without me glaring at them both.

_Nymphadora Tonks_

I gave her a hug and she sat next to Remus.

_Andromeda and Ted Tonks_

They sat at the Hufflepuff Table

_Amelia Bones_

She took a seat at the High Table after giving her niece a hug

_Cornelius Fudge_

He took a seat at the High Table too as i glared at him.

_The Dursleys - Artemis's Muggle Relatives_

They walked in and sat down on some chairs that had been conjured for them.

Uncle Vernon looked at me and said "What have you done now FREAK"

I got up , walked over to him and stared at him with fire in my eyes.

"You have made my home life an absolute misery and i put up with it , but not anymore , you have no control over me anymore i will not let you belittle me and make my school life a misery as well" i said defiantly and then glared at them and sat back down at the Ravenclaw Table.

_Please be civil to everyone and do not use any violence towards any one in the books previous actions._

_From - Artemis Kaycee Potter , Charlie Weasley Potter , James Sirius Potter , Albus Severus Potter , Lily Luna Potter , Hermione Jean Weasley , Ronald Bilious Weasley , Rose Weasley , Hugo Weasley , William Weasley , Fleur Weasley , Victoire Weasley , Dominique Weasley , Louis Weasley , George Weasley , Angelina Weasley , Roxanne Weasley , Fred Weasley II , Percy Weasley , Audrey Weasley ,Lucy Weasley , Molly Weasley II , Draco Malfoy , Astoria Malfoy , Scorpius Malfoy._

"WHAT" screamed everyone mentioned

"This is a surprise" said the Headmaster

"Shall we get on with the reading then Delores" spoke Professor Flitwick

"Yes that is an excellent idea , who would like to read first also we will only be reading the relevant parts"spoke the toad

"I would" said Hermione raising her hand.

Umbridge levitated the book over to her and Hermione opened the first page and spoke "**THE GIRL WHO LIVED".**


	3. Chapter 3

Books Can Change Lives

**"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense"**

"Why would you want to be normal anyways" asked Fred and George in unison

**"Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere."**

"SMALL" me, Ron and the Twins all exclaimed at the same time earning a few chuckles and the Dursleys to glare

**"The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters."**

"What's wrong with the Potters" exclaimed Charlie causing me to blush

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be.**

"That isn't even a proper word" exclaimed the entire Ravenclaw Table

**"The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small girl , but they had never even seen her. This girl was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that"  
><strong>

"There is nothing wrong with Artemis"

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.**

** None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

** At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. "Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.**

** It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar - a cat reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen - then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive - no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs. Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes - the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt - these people were obviously collecting for something... yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

"What is a drill anyways" asked a pure blood Hufflepuff

"How about anything you don't understand in the book , write it down and we will tell you after each chapter" i said while smiling

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swoop ing past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open- mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

** "The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard yes, their daughter, Artemis"**

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.**

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking... no, he was being stupid.**

"Finally he admits it" i screamed and threw my hands up in victory

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name. **

**Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his niece was called Artemis. He'd never even seen the girl. It might have been Amy. Or Annie. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if he'd had a sister like that... but all the same, those people in cloaks..**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

** "Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

People bowed their heads as they realised what the date was and i shed a tear for the loss of my parents and many others did too.

** And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

"How did they even fit" asked me and Charlie at the same time which caused us both to blush

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

Fred and George both mock fainted at the harsh words

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood - was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

** "Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

** Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

** "And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**

** "Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early - it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**

Ted Tonks smiled at the memory

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters...**

** Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er - Petunia, dear - you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

** As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

** "No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

** "Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today..."**

** "So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

** "Well, I just thought... maybe... it was something to do with... you know... her crowd."**

** Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their daughter - she'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't she?"**

** "I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

** "What's her name again? Amy, isn't it?"**

** "Artemis. Nasty, far too strange and abnormal, if you ask me."**

** "Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

"What and Dudley isn't strange and abnormal in the slightest" i snapped

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

** Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

"A pair of what"snapped Professor Flitwick**  
><strong>

** The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on - he yawned and turned over - it couldn't affect them...**

** How very wrong he was.**

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

** A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

** Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

** Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

** He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

** "Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

** He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

** "How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

** "My dear Professor, I 've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

** "You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

** "All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

** Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

** "Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

** "You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

** "I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

** She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day YouKnow-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"**

No one interrupted because of the mood that was around right now.

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

** "A what?"**

** "A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of"**

** "No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"**

** "My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You- Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort." Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name.**

** "I know you haven 't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."**

** "You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

** "Only because you're too - well - noble to use them."**

** "It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

** Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

** It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

** "What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead. "**

** Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

** "Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus..."**

** Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know..." he said heavily.**

** Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's daughter Artemis,. But - he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little girl. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Artemis Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone.**

** Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

**"It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... all the people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little girl? It's just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Artemis survive?"**

** "We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

** Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

** "Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

** "I've come to bring Artemis to her aunt and uncle. They're the only family she has left now."**

** "You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore - you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Artemis Potter come and live here!"**

** "It's the best place for her," said Dumbledore firmly. "Her aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to her when she's older. I've written them a letter.**

"I still never got to see that letter by the way" i said honestly

**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand her! She'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Artemis Potter day in the future - there will be books written about Artemis**

I burst out laughing at the irony of it and most of the hall started laughing too.

** - every child in our world will know her name!"**

** "Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any girl's head. Famous before she can walk and talk! Famous for something she won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off she'll be, growing up away from all that until she's ready to take it?"**

** Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the girl getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Artemis underneath it.**

** "Hagrid's bringing her."**

** "You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

** I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

** "I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?"**

** A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky - and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

** If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

** "Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

** "Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sit," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got her, sir."**

"My Bike" exclaimed Sirius

** "No problems, were there?"**

** "No, sir - house was almost destroyed, but I got her out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. She fell asleep as we was flying' over Bristol."**

** Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby girl, fast asleep. Under a tuft of onyx colored hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

** "Is that where -?" whispered Professor McGonagall. **

** "Yes," said Dumbledore. "She'll have that scar forever."**

** "Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

** "Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well - give her here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with."**

** Dumbledore took Artemis in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

** "Could I - could I say good-bye to her, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Artemis and gave her what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

** "Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"**

** "S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Artemis off to live with Muggles -"**

** "Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Artemis gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Artemis's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

** "Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

** "Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be taking' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

** Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

** "I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

** Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

** "Good luck, Artemis," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

** A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Artemis Potter rolled over inside her blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside her and she slept on, not knowing she was special, not knowing she was famous, not knowing she would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that she would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley... She couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Artemis Potter - the Girl who lived!"**

"That is the end of the Chapter" spoke Hermione and they passed the book onto Sirius who had volunteered to read and he read the Title of the next chapter which was THE VANISHING GLASS.


	4. Chapter 4

Books Can Change Lives

The reading of the second chapter was interrupted by Uncle Vernon yelling "It was you who ruined Dudley's birthday you little freak , i knew we never should have taken you in , our lives would have been much better if we had stuck you in an orphanage"

Those words hurt more than the cruciatus curse i suffered last year and i looked down.

My friends came and comforted me while Professor Mcgonnagall and Professor Flitwick shouted at Dumbledore.

"I told you they were the wrong people to take her in, i knew they wouldn't treat her right" shouted Mcgonnagall

"They hate her just because of who her parents were and who she is , she confided in me in her third year that they were horrible people" shouted Flitwick

"Enough , if i have said it once , i have said it a thousand times , The Dursleys are the only family Artemis has left , she will live with them until she is 17" shouted Professor Dumbledore

"Why do i have to live with them , i mean i'm pretty sure that my parents would have left some kind of custody plan for me in place if they died" i said softly trying to calm down

"They did but when Lily died to save you it created a blood protection ward which meant you needed to live with a blood relative of your mother and it would keep you and the Dursleys safe from anyone who would wish to cause you harm" spoke Dumbledore firmly

I was about to say something when i realised that everything about how they treated me would reveal itself in the next few chapters.

"Fine let's just get on with the reading" i said smiling

Sirius read out **The Vanishing Glass **once again and the reading started.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed.**

"I wouldn't be able to live like that i mean The Burrow is always changing , it makes it seem more interesting to have it changing constantly" spoke Ron and Ginny in unison and got a few giggles when they sounded like Fred and George

**Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets - but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another child lived in the house, too**

"Too high and mighty to have your picture taken by your own relatives Potter" sneered Professor Snape and Malfoy

"Artemis , you did still live there didn't you" asked Hermione

"Unfortunately yes" i spoke through gritted teeth

**Yet Artemis Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. Her Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

**"Up! Get up! Now!"**

**Artemis woke with a start.**

**Her aunt rapped on the door again.**

**"Up!" she screeched. Artemis heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove.**

"I spent a few nights at Lily's house once and it is impossible to hear anyone cooking from any of the bedrooms on the second floor" asked Remus with a frown

Fred , George and Ron chose not to speak as they all knew where i slept in the past thanks to them finding my belongings when they rescued me from the The Dursleys the summer before our second year and they were curious.

**Artemis rolled onto her back and tried to remember the dream she had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. She had a funny feeling she'd had the same dream before.**

"That was a memory Artemis not a dream" spoke Ginny while chuckling

**Her aunt was back outside the door.**

**"Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

**"Nearly," said Artemis.**

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn**

" THEY MADE YOU COOK" shouted Hermione , Charlie , Lisa and Luna

"My parents wouldn't even let me touch the stove until my 13th birthday"spoke Hermione

**, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday." - **This got a few laughs from around the Great Hall and Dudley looked embarrassed at the name

**Artemis groaned.**

**"What did you say?" her aunt snapped through the door.**

**"Nothing, nothing..."**

"Jeez it isn't possible to be ready in a space of two minutes" spoke Terry seriously

**Dudley's birthday - how could he have forgotten? Artemis got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks.**

**She found a pair under her bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on.**

Ron shuddered at the mention of spiders as well as Lisa.

"Guys they are only spiders , they can't hurt you" said the twins while smiling

"Well i mean almost getting attacked by a million of them at once can be quite disconcerting" i defended

"What" screamed about half of the hall at once

"Erm story for another time sorry" i said awkwardly

**Artemis was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them**

"Why is that relevant to why Artemis is used to spiders" asked a 4th year Hufflepuff

**and that was where she slept.**

The Great Hall was deathly silent for a 30 seconds before Sirius and Remus both yelled together.

"YOU MADE MY GODDAUGHTER SLEEP IN THE CUPBOARD UNDER THE STAIRS" Yelled Sirius at the Dursleys

"YOU MADE MY PUP SLEEP UNDER THE STAIRS" Screamed Remus

"Artemis why did you never tell anyone that they were mistreating you Miss Potter" asked Professor Flitwick

"I had no one to believe me back then so there was no point making a fuss and when i got to Hogwarts i wanted to forget it all happened" i said softly while trying not to cry

Charlie had come and sat down next to me at some point and put his arm around me trying to comfort me.

**When she was dressed she went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. - **I could hear people scribbling down the objects that they didn't understand.

**Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Artemis, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise - unless of course it involved punching somebody - "**It better not mean you Artemis" was heard throughout the hall

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Artemis, but he couldn't often catch her. Artemis didn't look it, but she was very fast.**

"Of course she is , youngest seeker in a century"shouted many quidditch fanatics including the Slytherins, although the Slytherins hated her , they still had to admit that Artemis was the youngest and one of the best seekers in not only the entire History of Hogwarts but most of the entire Wizarding World.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard,- **Many growls were heard as the horrid reminder of my past sleeping arrangements.

**but Artemis had always been small and skinny for her age.**

**Her clothes were mostly hand me downs from Dudley but she had some of her mum's and her Aunt's old dresses and clothes from when they were kids that she had found when cleaning out the attic once.**

**Artemis had a thin face, knobbly knees, Onyx hair, and bright green eyes. She wore rectangular glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched her on the nose.**

**The only thing Artemis liked about her own appearance was a very thin scar on her forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. She had had it as long as she could remember, and the first question she could ever remember asking her Aunt Petunia was how she had gotten it.**  
><strong>"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said.<strong>  
>"She lied to you about how they died" asked Professor Mcgonnagall<br>**"And don't ask questions."**  
><strong>Don't ask questions - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.<strong>

"But how do you learn if you don't ask questions" asked a 7th year Ravenclaw  
>"Exactly the reason i chose Ravenclaw in the first place , it meant i would be able to ask questions and learn." i answered truthfully.<p>

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Artemis was turning over the bacon.**

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**  
>"Not going to work at all" singsonged Remus<br>"Curse of the Potter Hair , it drove your mum and grandma crazy trying to get James's hair to stay straight"laughed Sirius

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Artemis needed a haircut. Artemis must have had more haircuts than the rest of the girls in her class put together but it made no difference, her hair simply grew that way - all curly and wavy.**  
><strong>Artemis was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head.<strong>  
>Sirius looked at Dudley and grinned - "That is a very accurate description there Artemis"<br>**Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel - Artemis often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**  
>This got the whole hall laughing except the headmaster and Molly Weasley who was looking confused then smirked.<br>"Artemis dear , on the note it said that Charlie took your last name and became a Potter when it should be you taking Charlie's last name and becoming a Weasley" she said smugly  
>"It probably happened because Charlie has brothers to carry on the Weasley name whereas there is no one to carry on the Potter name if i change my last name" i answered calmly<br>"Listen you will take the Weasley name this time round , which is what is expected" she said angrily

Before i got chance to answer a note appeared in my hand and i read it out for everyone to hear.

"Dear Hogwarts  
>Artemis is right with what was just said and Shut up GrandmaMum

Love Charlie Potter - James , Albus and Lily , Ron Weasley - Rose and Hugo George Weasley - Roxanne and Fred II , Percy Weasley - Lucy and Molly II ,Bill Weasley - Victoire , Dominique and Louis"

The reading continued.

**Artemis put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**  
>"Spoiled Brat" muttered Madam Pomphrey<p>

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."**  
>"How old is he" asked Hermione<br>**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Artemis, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down her bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**  
>"Trust me i wouldn't put it past him to do it even now" i said while i snuggled into Charlie<br>**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right''**  
>"That's terrible parenting , they need to know boundaries" spoke Narcissa Malfoy and Andromeda Tonks in unison<br>They looked at each other and smiled

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty ... thirty..."**

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**  
>"Can't he do basic maths"asked the entire Ravenclaw Table<p>

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Artemis and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera , a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

"Ooh" said Lisa

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take her." She jerked her head in Artemis's direction.**

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Artemis's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies.**  
><strong>Every year, Artemis was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Artemis hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made her look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.<strong>

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Artemis as though she'd planned this. Artemis knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when she reminded himself it would be a whole year before she had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the girl.**

**The Dursleys often spoke about Artemis like this, as though she wasn't there - or rather, as though she was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**  
>"Artemis is not nasty , she is kind , sweet and always ready to help others even if it means some kind of problem for her" spoke Luna , Lisa , Tonks and Fleur together<br>"Honestly i don't know how she didn't make it into Hufflepuff when she has those qualities" spoke Hermione

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?"**

**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**  
><strong>"You could just leave me here," Artemis put in hopefully (she'd be able to watch what she wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).<strong>  
>"Don't think so because that would be doing something that makes you happy Artemis" spoke Remus<p>

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**  
>"So not much different than normal" i said with a giggle<p>

"You will treat your aunt with some respect, you ungrateful freak"yelled Uncle Vernon

"Does you honestly think i care" i said deathly calm

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

**"I won't blow up the house," said Artemis, but they weren't listening.**  
>"Oh no Artemis won't blow up the whole house , that's far too boring , she will just blow up her Aunt instead" said Luna and Ron through huge laughing fits.<br>I got confused looks from many people but i ignored them while motioning for Sirius to continue.  
><strong>"I suppose we could take her to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "... and leave her in the car..."<strong>  
>"That's illegal" shouted Hermione<br>**"That car's new, she's not sitting in it alone..."**  
>"Oh yeah care more about the car than your niece" said Remus sarcastically<br>**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying - it had been years since he'd really cried - but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his** **mother would give him anything he wanted.**

"How old is he Artemis" asked Padma  
>"In the book 11"i said while giggling<br>**"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him**.  
>That got the whole Great Hall laughing and Dudley looked really embarrassed so he put his head down.<br>**"I... don't... want... her... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "She always sp- spoils everything!" He shot Artemis a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**  
><strong>Just then, the doorbell rang - "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically - and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat.<strong> Me, Remus, Sirius , Lisa , Ron and Luna all growled at the mention of the word Rat.  
><strong>He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them.<strong>  
><strong>Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.<strong> "Obviously you wouldn't want to look uncool in front of your friends" said Tonks sarcastically .

**Half an hour later, Artemis, who couldn't believe her luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in her life. Her aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with her, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Artemis aside.**  
><strong>"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Artemis's, "I'm warning you now, girl - any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."<strong>  
>Sirius stopped reading , put the book down and walked towards Dumbledore.<br>"How can you possibly think that they are the best people for Artemis to live with, they absolutely hate her just because she is different to them , they treat her worse than some family's treat their house elves , i wouldn't be surprised if they had neglected her" he said sounding deathly serious  
>I stiffened in Charlies embrace as i realised something.<p>

**"I'm not going to do anything," said Artemis, "honestly..**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe her. No one ever did.**  
><strong>The problem was, strange things often happened around Artemis and it was just no good telling the Dursleys she didn't make them happen.<strong>  
><strong>Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Artemis coming back from the barbers looking as though she hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut her hair so short she was almost bald except for her bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Artemis, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where she was already laughed at for her baggy clothes and taped glasses.<strong>  
><strong>Next morning, however, she had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off.<strong>  
><strong>She had been given a week in her cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that she couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.<strong>  
>"You punished your niece for something she couldn't even control" asked Professor Sprout<br>"No wonder Artemis is so skinny for her age , you hardly even fed her" spoke Madam Pomphrey

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force her into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls) - The harder she tried to pull it over her head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Artemis. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to her great relief, Artemis wasn't punished.**

**On the other hand, she'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens -** "Why were you on the roof Artemis" asked Professor Flitwick while chuckling  
><strong>Dudley's gang had been chasing her as usual when, as much to Artemis's surprise as anyone else's, there she was sitting on the chimney.<strong>  
>"You apparated" exclaimed Ron<br>"Personally i think i flew"  
>"Either way they are both very powerful bouts of accidental magic" said Tonks and Fleur<br>**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Artemis's (Amy at school as the Dursleys considered her actual name too Freakish) headmistress telling them Amy had been climbing school buildings.**  
><strong>But all she'd tried to do (as she shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of her cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Artemis supposed that the wind must have caught her in mid- jump.<strong>  
>"We really need to teach you how to lie better" said Sirius , Remus and the Twins seriously.<br>The teachers looked worried at me getting taught to lie by 4 pranksters.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, her cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**  
><strong>While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Artemis, the council, Artemis, the bank, and Artemis were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.<strong>

**"... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Artemis, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**  
>"Really Artemis Really"asked Charlie incredulously<br>"I was 10 nearly 11 give me a break" i said while i hit the back of his head  
><strong>Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Artemis, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"<strong>

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

**I know they don't," said Artemis. "It was only a dream."**

**But she wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than her asking questions, it was her talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon - they seemed to think she might get dangerous ideas.**  
>"Too late for that guys , her father was a marauder , she was born with dangerous ideas already in her brain" said Remus<br>The twins looked shocked but said nothing.  
><strong>It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families.<strong>  
><strong>The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Artemis what she wanted before they could hurry her away, they bought her a cheap lemon ice pop.<strong>  
><strong>It wasn't bad, either, Artemis thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.<strong>  
>Everyone laughed while Hermione said seriously "Artemis that's insulting" , me ,Lisa and Luna , knowing what she was thinking all said at the same time as Hermione "To the gorilla" which ensued another laughing epidemic all around the Great Hall.<br>**Artemis had the best morning she'd had in a long time. She was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting her.**  
><strong>They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his Knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Artemis was allowed to finish the first.<strong>  
><strong>Artemis felt, afterward, that she should have known it was all too good to last.<strong>  
>"Artemis you should know that when it get's like that , something is bound to go wrong" said Luna<p>

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can - but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**  
>"Good on you Mr Snakey , ignore the mean people" i said imitating Hermione from third year when her and Ron were arguing about Crookshanks and Scabbers.<p>

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Artemis moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. She wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself - no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least she got to visit the rest of the house.**  
>"Are you really comparing your life to a snakes" said Remus<p>

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes.**  
><strong>Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Artemis's.<strong>  
><strong>It winked.<strong>  
>"This is really ironic as it is about my thoughts and experiences , yet i know that Snakes can't wink" i said while giggling<br>**Artemis stared. Then she looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. She looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Artemis a look that said quite plainly:**

**"I get that all the time".**

**"I know," Artemis murmured through the glass, though she wasn't sure the snake could hear her.**  
><strong>"It must be really annoying."<strong>

**The snake nodded vigorously.**  
>"Artemis you can speak Parseltounge"yelled Sirius and Remus in disbelief<p>

"Yes but please don't hold this against me ,i am not a dark witch just because i can talk to snakes , it's something to do with this blasted curse scar"i said through gritted teeth

Bill looked very confused before he spoke up.

"Artemis , if it's a curse scar do you know why it hasn't been looked at by either a healer or a curse breaker"

"I don't know but i have a feeling it has something to do Dumbledork over there"i said seriously

"You mean Professor Dumbledore"scolded Molly Weasley

"No i know what i said"i giggled

Dumbledore was shocked that the girl had deduced so much so soon. He would have to rectify this quite soon if his plans were going to succeed.

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Artemis asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Artemis peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Artemis read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil?"**

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Artemis made both of them jump.**

**"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Artemis in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Artemis fell hard on the concrete floor.**  
>"He better not of hurt you Artemis" said Charlie deathly calm.<br>**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened - one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**  
>"What did you do this time Artemis" said Remus<p>

**Artemis sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.**  
><strong>The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.<strong>

**As the snake slid swiftly past her, Artemis could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come... Thanksss, amigo."**

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

**"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**  
>"That was some very powerful accidental magic Miss Potter" said Professor Flitwick proudly<p>

"If Artemis can manage that as accidental Magic surely the rest of you can manage it as controlled Magic in class"admonished Mcgonnagall

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Artemis had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death.**  
><strong>But worst of all, for Artemis at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Amy was talking to it, weren't you, Amy?"<strong>

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Artemis.**  
><strong>He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go - cupboard - stay - no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.<strong>  
>Gasps were heard all around the Great Hall before Madame Pomphrey , Professor Sprout and Professor Mcgonnagall all yelled in unison.<br>"No meals is not a punishment"  
>"Miss Potter after this chapter i would like to check you over for any injuries or lasting damage this might have caused" Madam Pomfrey spoke firmly leaving no room for argument.<br>**Artemis lay in her dark cupboard much later, wishing she had a watch. She didn't know what time it was and she couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, she couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**  
><strong>She'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as she could remember, ever since she'd been a baby and her parents had died in that car crash.<strong>  
><strong>She couldn't remember being in the car when her parents had died.<strong>  
><strong>Sometimes, when she strained her memory during long hours in her cupboard, she came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on her forehead.<strong>  
><strong>This, she supposed, was the crash, though she couldn't imagine where all the green light came from<strong>

"How did you remember that , you were only 15 months old , you should never have remembered that" said Remus sadly

"Yes Remus but Artemis has gone through things that she should never have gone through , let alone remember" said said Sirius seriously.

**She couldn't remember her parents at all.**  
><strong>Her aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course she was forbidden to ask questions.<strong>  
><strong>There were no photographs of them in the house.<strong>

**When she had been younger, Artemis had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take her away, but it had never happened; so she followed the motto it does no good to dwell on dreams, the Dursleys were her only family.**  
>"Don't think like that Artemis , you have us now" said Remus , Sirius, Luna , Lisa ,Hermione, Ron , Charlie , Ginny ,Fred , George , Fleur , Tonks and all my other friends together as they all came and gave me a massive group hug.<br>Umbridge was furious , these books were supposed to prove she was lying and make everyone hate her but they were doing the opposite.  
><strong>Yet sometimes she thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know her.<strong>  
><strong>Very strange strangers they were, too<strong>  
><strong>. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to her once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley<strong> "Was that you Professor Flitwick by any chance" i asked with a smile , the professor in question blushed like crazy.  
><strong>After asking Artemis furiously if she knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything.<strong>  
><strong>A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at her once on a bus<strong>  
>"I'm guessing that was Professor Mcgonnagall right" , Professor Mcgonnagall then put her head down in embarrassment .<br>**A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken her hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word.**  
><strong>The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Artemis tried to get a closer look.<strong>

**At school, Artemis/Amy had no one.**  
><strong>Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Amy Potter in her baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to<strong> **disagree with Dudley's** **gang.**

"That is the end of the chapter" spoke Sirius.  
>"Well why don't we eat lunch then get on with the next chapter afterwards" said Dumbledore merrily.<br>While everyone tucked into lunch and talking about the books to their friends , I headed to the Hospital Wing with Madam Pomfrey.


	5. Chapter 5

Book's Can Change Lives

I was walking back to the Great Hall with Madam Pomfrey who was in a really bad mood because she had found that i had blocks on my magic , compulsion charms that were faltering slightly and loyalty potions in my system.  
>The blocks were put there by Dumbledore , the loyalty potions were tied to him same as the compulsion charms.<br>We managed to get rid of the potions and compulsion charms but the blocks would have to wait till later.  
>She gave me a bracelet that detects spells and potions that are either in my food or heading towards me.<br>We walked in and i glared at Dumbledore and sat down at the table and grabbed some sandwiches and began eating.  
>"Shall we get on with the reading then" asked Dumbledore<br>Luna put her hand up to volunteer to read the next chapter and the book was levitated over to her and she said that the book was skipping to the **Journey from Platform Nine and Three Quarters.**

**Artemis's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun.**  
>"Not that is was fun to begin with" i said sarcastically<br>**True, Dudley was now so scared of Artemis he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Artemis in her cupboard, force her to do anything, or shout at her - in fact, they didn't speak to her at all.**  
>"Isn't that an improvement" asked Sirius<br>**Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Artemis in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while.**

**Artemis kept to her room, with her new owl for company. She had decided to call her Hedwig, a name she had found in A History of Magic. **  
><strong>Her school books were very interesting. She lay on her bed reading late into the night, Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice.<strong>  
><strong>Every night before she went to sleep, Artemis ticked off another day on the piece of paper she had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.<strong>  
><strong>On the last day of August she thought she'd better speak to her aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day, so she went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television.<strong>  
><strong>She cleared her throat to let them know she was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.<strong>  
>"If only that still worked now" i said while laughing<p>

**"Er - Uncle Vernon?"**

**Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.**

**"Er - I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to - to go to Hogwarts."**

**Uncle Vernon grunted again.**

**"Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?"**

**Grunt. Artemis supposed that meant yes.**

**"Thank You"**  
>"You were polite to him even when he made your life a misery"questioned Fleur , Tonks and Ginny<p>

"There wasn't any real point being harsh and horrible to them just because of what they had done in the past because then i would just be as bad as them"i said honestly

**She was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.**

"Damn almost had a clean getaway"chuckled the twins  
><strong>"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train, Magic carpets all got punctures , have they?"<strong>  
>"Is he really that stupid" asked Remus<p>

**Artemis didn't say anything.**

**"Where is this school, anyway?"**

**"I don't know," said Artemis, realizing this for the first time. She pulled the ticket Hagrid had given her out of her pocket.**

**"I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," she read**

**Her aunt and uncle stared.**  
>"Yeah Aunt Petunia pulled the i don't know a thing about magic, card" i said sarcastically<p>

**"Platform what?"**

**"Nine and three-quarters."**

**"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."**  
>"It's on her ticket" said a 5th year Slytherin called Daphne Greengrass<br>**"It's on my ticket."**  
>We both looked at each other and smiled at saying the same thing , people gave us weird looks that the Ravenclaw Queen, leader of the Silver Trio and the Girl who Lived and The Slytherin Ice Princess were actually looking at each other and not glaring at each other and not throwing insults.<p>

**"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."**

**"Why are you going to London?" Artemis asked, trying to keep things friendly.**  
>"You see Artemis is friendly to everyone no matter what they have done to her in the past" said Tonks and Ginny<p>

**"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings"**

**Artemis woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep.**  
><strong>She got up and pulled on her jeans because she didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes - she'd change on the train. She checked her Hogwarts list yet again to make sure she had everything she needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up.<strong>  
><strong>Two hours later, Artemis's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Artemis, and they had set off.<strong>  
>"Jeez it's not like your contaminated with a deadly disease or something"said Charlie while laughing<br>"To them having magic is like a deadly disease" i said seriously  
><strong>They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Artemis's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for her. Artemis thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face.<strong>  
>"Too good to be true" Luna said<br>**"Well, there you are, girl. Platform nine - platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"**

**He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.**

**"Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile.**

A thought just occurred to me and i smirked and looked over The Malfoys.

"Hey Malfoys , i just realised that there isn't much difference in personality between you guys and The Dursleys, i mean Mrs Malfoy and Aunt Petunia both stand by when they witness some wrong doing on either their husband's or child's part, Mr Malfoy and Uncle Vernon both have done illegal things in the past and are both nasty to the core and Draco and Dudley are both , idiotic prats who think they are superior to everyone and everything"

As everyone started laughing the realization of what i had just said sunk in and they all raised their wands and they began to try and cast spells towards me but i just clicked my fingers and their wands just came flying to me and i glared at Lucius and said "I thought you learned your lesson from when you tried to do that nearly three years ago"

**He left without another word. Artemis turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing. Artemis's mouth went rather dry. What on earth was she going to do? She was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig. She'd have to ask someone.**

**She stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters. The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Artemis couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though Artemis was being stupid on purpose. Getting desperate, Artemis asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one. In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters. Artemis was now trying hard not to panic. According to the large clock over the arrivals board, she had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and she had no idea how to do it; she was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk she could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and a large owl.**

**Hagrid must have forgotten to tell her something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. She wondered if she should get out her wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten.**  
>"Please tell me you didn't" asked Remus<p>

**At that moment a group of people passed just behind her and she caught a few words of what they were saying.**  
>"You really shouldn't eavesdrop Artemis" said Remus<br>"I was 11 and desperate" i defended  
><strong>"- packed with Muggles, of course -"<strong>  
>"Whoever said that must of been an idiot to say that in a place full of muggles" said Lisa.<br>**Artemis swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trunk like Artemis's in front of her - and they had an owl.**  
>"That was you mum" spoke Charlie and Bill together<p>

**Heart hammering, Artemis pushed her cart after them. They stopped and so did she, just near enough to hear what they were saying.**

**"Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother.**

**"Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand, "Mom, can't I go... "**

**"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."**

**What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. Artemis watched, careful not to blink in case she missed it - but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of her and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.**

**"Fred, you next," the plump woman said.**

**"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"**

**"Sorry, George, dear."**

**"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went. His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone - but how had he done it?**  
>The twins stood up and bowed , i rolled my eyes as i was the only one who could tell them apart.<p>

**Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier he was almost there - and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere.**

** There was nothing else for it.**

** "Excuse me," Artemis said to the plump woman.**

** "Hello, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too."**

** She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.**  
>"Thanks Artemis" said Ron jokingly<p>

**"Yes," said Artemis. "The thing is - the thing is, I don't know how to -"**

** "How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and Artemis nodded.**

** "Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."**

** "Er - okay," said Artemis.**

** She pushed her trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.**  
>"So a random woman you just met tells you to run into a solid looking wall and you go on and do it" said Remus incredulously<p>

**She started to walk toward it. People jostled her on their way to platforms nine and ten. Artemis walked more quickly. She was going to smash right into that barrier and then she'd be in trouble - leaning forward on her cart, she broke into a heavy run - the barrier was coming nearer and nearer - she wouldn't be able to stop - the cart was out of control - she was a foot away - she closed her eyes ready for the crash -**

**It didn't come... she kept on running... she opened her eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven O'clock. Artemis looked behind her and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, She had done it.**

**Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.**

**The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Artemis pushed her cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat. She passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again."**

** "Oh, Neville," he heard the old woman sigh.**  
>Neville flushed with embarrassment<p>

**A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.**

**"Give us a look, Lee, go on."**

**The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.**  
>Ron and Lisa shuddered.<p>

**Artemis pressed on through the crowd until she found an empty compartment near the end of the train. She put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave her trunk toward the train door. She tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice she dropped it painfully on her foot.**

**"Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins she'd followed through the barrier.**

**"Yes, please," Artemis panted.**

**"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"**

**With the twins' help, Artemis's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.**

"See we can be kind and helpful when we want to be"the twins chorused

"Just a pity it is as rare as a solar eclipse"i said jokingly

**"Thanks," said Artemis, pushing her hair out of her eyes.**

**"What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Artemis's lightning scar.**

**"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you**  
><strong>She is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Artemis.<strong>

**"What?" said Artemis.**

**"Artemis Potter, "chorused the twins.**

**"Oh, her," said Artemis. "I mean, yes, I am."**  
>"Really" said Sirius<br>"Shut up Black" i playfully glared at him

**The two boys gawked at her, and Artemis felt herself turning red. Then, to her relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door.**

**"Fred? George? Are you there?"**

**"Coming, Mom."**

**With a last look at Artemis, the twins hopped off the train.**

**Artemis sat down next to the window where, half hidden, she could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying.**  
>"Eavesdropping is rude Artemis" reprimanded Remus<br>"Not going to do any good Remus , it's in my nature to be mischievous ,polite, sly and academic, i have the qualities of each house , i just can't help it" i said honestly  
><strong>Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.<strong>  
><strong>"Ron, you've got something on your nose."<strong>  
><strong>The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.<strong>

**"Mom - geroff" He wriggled free.**

**"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.**  
>This got laughter spreading like wildfire even Ron was laughing at the old nickname.<br>**"Shut up," said Ron.**

**"Where's Percy?" said their mother.**

**"He's coming now."**

**The oldest boy came striding into sight.**  
><strong>He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Artemis noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter P on it.<strong>

**"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves -"**  
>"Didn't you mention that , oh i don't know , every minute of every day , all summer Percy" me and Luna said in sync<p>

**"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."**

**"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once -"**

**"Or twice -"**

**"A minute -"**

**"All summer -"**  
>We got strange looks as we said the same thing as the Twins did which we high fived at and laughed<br>**"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.**

**"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.**

**"Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly**  
><strong>"All right, dear, well, have a good term - send me an owl when you get there."<strong>

**She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.**

**"Now, you two - this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've - you've blown up a toilet or -"**  
>"Hey the Twins didn't do that on their own i mean i did most of the work , i'm the one that cast the modified bombarda spell anyways" i said indignantly<br>**"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."**  
><strong>"Great idea though, thanks, Mom."<strong>

**"It's not funny. And look after Ron."**

**"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."**  
>More laughter ensued<p>

**"Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.**

**"Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"**

**Artemis leaned back quickly so they couldn't see her looking.**  
><strong>"You know that onyx-haired girl who was near us in the station? Know who she is?"<strong>

**"Who?"**

"Artemis Potter!"  
><strong>I stood up and did a curtsy and glared at Umbridge ,Dumbledork and Fudge.<strong>

**Artemis heard the little girl's voice.**

**"Oh, Mom, can I go on the train and see her, Mom, eh please..."**

**"You've already seen her, Ginny, and the poor girl isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is she really, Fred? How do you know?"**

**"Asked her. Saw her scar. It's really there - like lightning."**

**"Poor dear - no wonder she was alone, I wondered. She was ever so polite when she asked how to get onto the platform."**  
>"See Artemis is always polite" yelled Ginny , Fleur,Tonks , Luna , Lisa and Hermione who were sick of how Umbridge and Fudge talked and treated me.<p>

**"Never mind that, do you think she remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"**  
>"I do actually ,i mean i should after every single time i have faced him" i said emphasizing the word every.<p>

**Their mother suddenly became very stern.**

**"I forbid you to ask her, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though she needs reminding of that on her first day at school."**  
>"It's fine , i had been thinking about it since Hagrid told me what happened"<p>

**"All right, keep your hair on."**

**A whistle sounded.**

**"Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister** **began to cry.**

**"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."**

**"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."**  
>"We actually did send her a Toilet seat as well as Artemis when she was in the Hospital Wing" they said while laughing.<p>

**"George!"**  
><strong>"Only joking, Mom."<strong>

**The train began to move. Artemis saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved.**

**Artemis watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Artemis felt a great leap of excitement. She didn't know what she was going to but it had to be better than what she was leaving behind.**

**The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in.**

**"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Artemis. "Everywhere else is full."**

**Artemis shook her head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Artemis and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Artemis saw he still had a black mark on his nose.**

**"Hey, Ron."**

**The twins were back.**

**"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train - Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."**

**"Right," mumbled Ron.**

**"Artemis," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then.**

**"Bye," said Artemis and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.**

**"Are you really Artemis Potter?" Ron blurted out.**

**Artemis nodded.**

**"Oh -well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got - you know..."**

**He pointed at Artemis's forehead.**

**Artemis pulled back her bangs to show the lightning scar. Ron stared.**  
><strong>"Sorry Artemis" said Ron<strong>  
>"It was fine you staring , i mean i got used to it on the first proper day of school"<br>Before Luna could continue a note popped into my lap and all heads turned to me.  
>"It says,<br>Dear Hogwarts,  
>More people will be coming to join you the next generation of WeasleyPotter kids and a few of their best friends.  
>Try and be civil to everyone<br>From everyone.  
>Another flash occurred and 19 teenagers stepped into the Great Hall.<br>"Maybe you should introduce yourselves to everyone and say a little about yourselves" said Dumbledore  
>They stood in a line and started to introduce themselves.<br>"Hi my name is James Sirius Potter , my birthday is the 19th of February i am in my 5th year , i am a Gryffindor , i am Quidditch Captain , i am keeper and i am currently dating Alice Fiona Longbottom"  
>"My name is Albus Severus Potter , my birthday is the 8th of January I am in my 3rd year , i am a Slytherin , i am seeker ,and i am currently dating no one"<br>"Hello my name is Lily Luna Potter , my birthday is 13th of June i am in my 1st year , i am a Hufflepuff , and i am currently dating nobody".  
>" Hi my name is Teddy Lupin , my parents are Remus John Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks Lupin my birthday is the 30th of December, i am in my 7th year , i am in Hufflepuff ,i am chaser and i am currently dating Victoire Weasley<br>"My name is Rose Weasley , my birthday is the 9th of October i am in my 3rd year , i am in Ravenclaw i am a beater, and i am currently dating Scorpius Malfoy"  
>"Hi my name is Hugo Weasley , my Birthday is the 11th of July , i am in my 1st year , i am in Gryffindor, and i am currently dating nobody"<br>"Hi my name is Alice Fiona Longbottom , my parents are Neville Franklin Longbottom and Hannah Abbott Longbottom my birthday is 23rd of August,i am in my 5th year , i am a Gryffindor and i am currently dating James Sirius Potter"  
>"My name is Victoire Weasley , my birthday is the 3rd of May , i am in my 6th year , i am in Ravenclaw , i am chaser and Quidditch Captain i am also Prefect and i am currently dating Teddy Lupin"<br>"My name is Dominique Weasley ,my birthday is the 2nd of April , i am in my 5th year , i am in Gryffindor , i am a Chaser , and i am currently dating Lysander Scamander"  
>"My name is Louis Weasley my birthday is the 14th of March , i am in my 1st year , i am in Hufflepuff and i am currently dating nobody"<br>"Hello my name is Fred Weasley II , My birthday is October the 5th i am in my 5th year, i am in Gryffindor , i am a beater , i am Prefect and i am currently dating nobody"  
>"Hi my name is Roxanne Weasley , my birthday is the 15th of November , i am in my 4th year , i am in Ravenclaw , i am a chaser and am currently dating nobody"<br>My name is Lucy Weasley , my birthday is October the 12th , i am in my 6th year , i am in Gryffindor i am Beater, i was Prefect and i am Head Girl i am currently dating nobody"  
>"My name is Molly Weasley , my birthday is the 20th of December , i am in my 5th year , i am a Hufflepuff , i am Seeker and Captain and i am currently dating nobody.<br>"My name is Willow Thomas , my parents are Ginny Weasley and Dean Thomas , my Birthday is the 4th of January , i am in my 2nd year along with my twin Shauna , i am in Ravenclaw i am Chaser and i am currently dating nobody"  
>"My name is Shauna Thomas , i am a Ravenclaw 2nd year along with my twin Willow , i am a seeker , and i am currently dating nobody"<br>My name is Scorpius Malfoy , my birthday is the 17th of April i am a 3rd year i am in Slytherin , i am Beater and i am currently dating Rose Weasley"  
>"My name is Lorcan Scamander my parents are Luna Lovegood Scamander and Rolf Scamander my birthday is the 13th of January, i am in my 5th year , along with my twin Lysander, i am in Hufflepuff and i am currently dating nobody".<br>"My name is Lysander Scamander , my birthday is the 13th of January along with my twin Lorcan , i am in my 5th year , i am in Gryffindor and i am Prefect , and i am currently dating Dominique Weasley".  
>They all sat down either at their respective tables or with their parents and after everyone composing themselves Luna began to read again.<p>

**"So that's where You-Know-Who**

**"Yes," said Artemis, "but I can't remember it."**

**"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.**

**"Well - I remember a lot of green light, a laugh, a scream and a pale ,snake like face with Crimson red eyes , but i can't remember the actual attack"**  
>"You shouldn't even remember any of it because it shouldn't of happened" said Sirius<br>Many people gave him odd looks because they all thought he gad betrayed my parents when he didn't.  
><strong>"Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Artemis for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.<strong>

**"Are all your family wizards?" asked Artemis, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him.**

**"Er - Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."**

**"So you must know loads of magic already."**

**The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.**

**"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"**

**"Horrible -well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."**  
>"I stick by that statement and most likely will until the day i die"<br>"You end up changing your mind later on in life mum" said James  
>"<strong>Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left - Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat.<strong>  
>"You should of had your own wand Ron" said Fleur<br>**"Yes but in Second year it is pretty good that it was broken because it saved our lives" i said truthfully**  
><strong>Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.<strong>  
>Me , Ron , Hermione , Lisa , Luna , Remus and Sirius all started growling at the mention of the rat.<p>

**"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up.**  
>"I wish he had never woken up at all" i said menacingly<br>**Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff - I mean, I got Scabbers instead."**

**Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.**

**Artemis didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, she'd never had any money in her life until a month ago, and she told Ron so, all about having to wear old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up.**  
><strong>"... and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about be ing a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort"<strong>

**Ron gasped.**

**"What?" said Artemis**

**"You said You-Know-Who's name!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. "I'd have thought you, of all people -"**

**"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," said Artemis, I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn... I bet," she added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying her a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class."**  
>"You could never be the worst at anything even if you tried" all my friends said honestly<br>**"You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough.**  
><strong>While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.<strong>

**Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"**

**Artemis, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to her feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Artemis went out into the corridor.**  
>"You really should eat breakfast more while you're not at Hogwarts" said Madame Pomfrey<br>"Easier said than done" i muttered under my breath

**She had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that she had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as she could carry - but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Artemis had never seen in her life. Not wanting to miss anything, she got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.**

**Ron stared as Artemis brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.**

**"Hungry, are you?"**

**"Starving," said Artemis , taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.**

**Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef."**

**"Swap you for one of these," said Artemis, holding up a pasty. "Go on -"**

**"You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us."**

**"Go on, have a pasty," said Artemis, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Artemis's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).**

** "What are these?" Artemis asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not really frogs, are they?" She was starting to feel that nothing would surprise her.**

**"No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."**

**"What?"**

**"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know - Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect - famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."**

"Wow that's a lot of cards"commented Sirius

**Artemis unwrapped her Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half- moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.**

Many people in the hall clapped but there were a few people like me , Fudge and the majority of the Slytherins who glared at him.

**"So this is Dumbledore!" said Artemis.**

**"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa - thanks**

**Artemis turned over her card and read:**

**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**

**CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS**

**Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.**  
>"If only i had remembered this card sooner , it would have saved us a lot if time and trouble" i said sheepishly<p>

**Artemis turned the card back over and saw, to her astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.**

**"He's gone!"**

**"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her... do you want it? You can start collecting."**  
>"How long did it take you to collect them all in the end Ron" asked Remus<br>"I finally finished the collection halfway through fourth year"  
><strong>Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.<strong>

**"Help yourself," said Artemis. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."**

**"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "weird!"**  
><strong>Artemis stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave her a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Artemis couldn't keep her eyes off them. Soon she had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin. She finally tore her eyes away from the druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.<strong>

**"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Artemis. "When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor - you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger- flavored one once."**

"Really Ron start taking what Fred and George with a pinch of salt"i said in amusement

"What"asked the majority of the hall minus the muggleborns/raised

"It's a muggle expression , it means stop taking everything literally word for word"i explained

**Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.**

**"Bleaaargh - see? Sprouts."**

**They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Artemis got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.**

**The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.**

**There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Artemis had passed on platform nine and three quarters came in. He looked tearful.**  
>"Neville there was no need to be scared and tearful" i said softly<p>

**"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"**

**When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"**

**"He'll turn up," said Artemis.**  
>"See you're always really kind , how didn't you get into Hufflepuff" exclaimed Lisa<br>"I have the worst temper ever , i have absolutely no patience whatsoever" i said honestly

**"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him..."**

**He left.**

**"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."**

**The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.**

**"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust**  
>"I wish" we all said<br>**"I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look..."**

**He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.**

**"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway"**

**He had just raised his 'wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.**

**"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.**  
>"Thanks Artemis"<br>"No Problem Mione

**"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.**

**"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."**

**She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.**  
>"You were quite bossy and brash back then Mione" said Ron truthfully<p>

"**Er - all right."**

**He cleared his throat.**

**"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."**

**He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep**.

**"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you.**

**She said all this very fast.**

**Artemis looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either.**  
>"You got into Ravenclaw and you hadn't learnt the books by heart" said Remus shocked<br>"Not exactly i figured out in my 3rd year that i actually have an eidetic memory , so everything i read or experienced , i could remember , and so my first two years i had no idea i was remembering it all"i said sheepishly

**"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.**

**"Artemis Potter," said Artemis.**

**"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course - I got a few extra books. for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.**

**"Am I?" said Artemis, feeling dazed.**

**"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it**

"I love it in Ravenclaw , everything is so much more relaxed and quiet"i said along with Lisa and Luna

**, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."**

**And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.**

**"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron.**

Hermione hit Ron across the head playfully and gave him a glare.

**He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell - George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."**

"Pinch of salt"i singsonged

**"What house are your brothers in?" asked Artemis.**

**"Gryffindor," said Ron.**  
>"Woo" screamed all of the Weasley kids<br>**Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mom and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."**  
>"We would have cared for and loved you exactly the same Ron" said Arthur<p>

"Your nothing like a Slytherin Ron , your no where near sly enough"i said seriously

**"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"**

**"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.**

**"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Artemis, trying to take Ron's mind off houses.**  
>"She is constantly kind and trying to cheer others up" said Ginny<p>

"Seriously how did you not end up in Hufflepuff"asked Susan

"Probably because of my temper , i seem to have completed inherited the famous Evans temper"i said honestly

**"So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?"**

**Artemis was wondering what a wizard/Witch did once they'd finished school.**

**"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron.**  
>I smiled at Charlie and he smiled back ans we just sat there for a few minutes in silence just smiling at each other.<br>**"Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles - someone tried to rob a high security vault."**  
><strong>Artemis stared.<strong>

**"Really? What happened to them?"**

"**Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."**

"Well he was behind it , he was just using somebody else to do it for him"i spoke casually

**Artemis turned this news over in her mind. She was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You- Know-Who was mentioned. She supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying.**  
>"You are really mad you know Artemis" said Lisa<br>"Your point is"i pointed out

**"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.**

**"Er - I don't know any," Artemis confessed.**

**"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world -" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Artemis through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.**

**Three boys entered, and Artemis recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Artemis with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.**

**"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Artemis Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"**

**"Yes," said Artemis. She was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.**

"Not very good ones if they let a girl punch you in the face Malfoy"i laughed

**"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Artemis was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."**

"Are you a James Bond fan by any chance"Hermione asked

**Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigget. Draco Malfoy looked at him.**

**"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."**

**He turned back to Artemis. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."**

**He held out his hand to shake Artemis's, but Artemis didn't take it.**

**"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," she said coolly.**  
>"Nice one Artemis, that is obviously something your mum would say , glad you got Lily's wit and sarcasm Prongslette" said Remus and Sirius while laughing.<br>I smiled innocently.

**Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheek**s.  
>"Awwww is the little baby ferret embarrassed" i said patronizingly<br>"Ferret?" questioned Remus  
>"You'll find out in the fourth book"<p>

**"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."**  
>"Yet i'm still better at magic than you'll ever be" i said<br>He looked angry as if he wanted to curse me but with the minister there he couldn't.

**Both Artemis and Ron stood up.**

**"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.**

**"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.**

**"Unless you get out now," said Artemis, more bravely than she felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than her or Ron.**

**"But we don't feet like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."**

**Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron - Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.**  
>"What did you do now" queried Remus<br>"Nothing" i said sweetly

**Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle - Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.**  
><strong>"What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.<strong>

**I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No - I don't believe it - he's gone back to sleep-"**

**And so he had.**

**"You've met Malfoy before?"**

**Artemis explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.**

**"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side."**

"Yeah, turns out you were right all along Ron"i said grimly remembering last year  
><strong>He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"<strong>

"**You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"**

**"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while I change?"**

**"All right - I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"**

**Ron glared at her as she left. Artemis peered out of the window. It was getting dark. She could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.**

**A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."**

**Artemis's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.**

**The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Artemis shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Artemis heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Artemis?"**

**Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.**

**"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"**

**Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Artemis thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.**

**"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."**

**There was a loud "Oooooh!"**

**The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.**  
>"I loved that first sight of the castle , i'm glad only the first years , go across the lake it's not as special when you do it every year when you know what's going to happen" i said dreamily<br>Many others agreed with my reasoning.  
><strong>"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Artemis and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione. "Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then - FORWARD!"<strong>

**And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.**  
>"Those boats were really slow that was the only thing that annoyed me about the Lake journey , i mean i could probably swim faster than the boats" said Ron<p>

**"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.**  
>"Awww no one fell in" said Sirius sounding disappointed<br>"Why who fell in when you were first years" i asked  
>"Peter" he said darkly<br>"Then i jumped in to go see the Giant Squid" said Sirius happily

**"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.**

**"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.**

**They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.**

**"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"**

**Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.**

"That's the end of the chapter" said Luna joyfully  
>"Okay shall we take a break and have some refreshments before we carry with the reading" said Dumbledork<p> 


End file.
